dr. spence is a political science director at johns hopkins university. >> i am very disappointed in his >> reporter: he believes the president's message was condescending. >> what i see is a trend by which he speaks to black populations with a tough love message that is not really applicable. >> reporter: spence points points to comments like this one. >> for our kids to excel, we have to accept our responsibility to help them learn. that means putting away the x box. putting our kids at a reasonable hour. >> reporter: dr. spence says he wanted the president to outline plans to help those hurting in the struggling economy. >> i think it's tragic that he missed an excellent opportunity to drive home the roll of government in dealing with social suffering. >> reporter: others say they're satisfied with the president's leadership on race. >> what's the president owe to black mark -- america, if anything? does he owe anything that she should owe to other americans? >> i think he -- and he's doing a great job of this, he's being a great uniter. >> from what i understand, he's committed about

dr. spence says in the end, the question is not only whether president obama deals with issues regarding race or poverty, but to what degree he addresses them. >>> 50 years after her death, baltimore honors hometown jazz great billie holiday. today, city leaders rededicated a statue in her memory. it now features the anti-racism message of her songs. historians say holiday's life offers valuable lessons for us all. >> everybody talk said about billie holiday in terms of being a drug addict. that's not the case. what i thought about her. there was one thing that always stuck in my mind. that she was a description of history. she talked about everything that happened to her during that period. and subscwenltly, she talked about -- subsequently, she talked about what was happening to humanity. >> the sculpture, lady day, was made by james earl reed. and first appeared at lafayette and pennsylvania avenue back in 1985. >>> what has been a worry in the chesapeake is now cause for concern for the rest of the world. it is the disappearance of coastal underwater grasses. alex demetrick reports,

dr. gates, meanwhile have acting for a apology. >> the mistake of a policeman. >> the apology won't come from me. i have done nothing wrong. >> reporter: john hopkins professor lester spence said enough blame to go around. >> i understand that police have a difficult job to do, but the members of the police department once they realized that gates -- he actually owned the home they were investigating, they should have been able to let cooler heads prevail even if gates acted a fool. >> reporter: gates' experience is not unlike what african- american men experience every day he says. >> officer crowley teaches a course to police officers how to avoid racial profiling. >>> governor martin o'malley wants your help cutting back the state budget, the governor needs to cut more than $400 million of state spending and he is asking to you go online and weigh in on what heads to the chopping block. governor o'malley says the only thing not on the table is education funding. so head to www.maryland. gov and give your two cents. >>> starting today the minimum wage is veil higher including here in maryland bumped up to $7.25. in maryland a jump from the old minimum wage of $6.55. >>>